Outer Ring Airports Budget For High Demand

If you're going to Superbowl XLVI in Indianapolis in February, you expect a few things in town to be expensive that weekend. If you're taking your own aircraft, get ready for inflated prices, even for a tie-down, at airports around the city.

The Monroe County Airport in Bloomington, Indiana is an example. The Bloomington Herald-Times reports that county aviation commissioners have approved charging $75 per day for parking spots on the tarmac February 2-6, and will even bring a European touch to American general aviation with $75 landing fees for planes arriving during that period.

Airport manager Bruce Payton tells the paper the airport has enough space to park as many as 70 planes. If that many aircraft came, all paid the landing fee once, and stayed for an average of two days, that would work out to a revenue spike of almost $16,000. The airport justifies the extra fees to keep runways free of ice and provide extra control tower staff.

Bloomington is 50 miles from Indianapolis, so you'll need to find ground transportation. One upside: That puts you outside the TFR, so if the game turns out to be a snoozer, you could leave early, beat the rush, and be cleared for takeoff before the end of the fourth quarter.

FMI: www.nfl.com/superbowl/46